Xboned! Indies can't self-publish on Xbox One

Both Sony and Nintendo are bending over backwards to make their platforms as attractive to indie developers as possible, from waived licensing fees to free patching. Microsoft has been slipping on this front lately, and it doesn't look like things will change soon.

In speaking with general manager of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms, Matt Booty, Shacknews was told that the publishing arrangements for Xbox One are no different than those for Xbox 360. In other words, indies can't self-publish and must either strike a publishing deal with Microsoft or some other third party -- the exact opposite of what Sony and Nintendo allow.

Gamasutra reached out to various indies to gauge their Xbox One plans, but most have said they either are not working on the platform or haven't received a callback from Microsoft. Some devs have been in talks, however, including Octodad's Young Horses, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP's Capybara Games, and Minecraft's Mojang.

But overall, it doesn't look like Microsoft is making much effort to entice those who are potentially shaping the future of gaming, which I personally believe is a huge mistake that could bite the company in the ass. What are they thinking up in Redmond?